What is Hydro-Seeding?

The laying of sod has traditionally been the method of choice for tract housing developers, but has been largely replaced by hydroseeding in recent years. Sod is expensive, and it doesn't always take. It's not uncommon to see sod that's been down for a year or more to appear as if it could be rolled up like a carpet and carted away intact. In contrast, this risk is practically non-existent with hydroseeding. Whether a professional is hired or dispersal equipment rented from a large home improvement store for do-it-yourselfers, hydroseeding is an effective, nearly foolproof method for cultivating a beautiful lawn.

 

Hydroseeding first appeared commercially in the United States in the early 1950s and quickly spread to the United Kingdom and other European nations. The process is now used worldwide due to its cost-effectiveness and probability of success

 

Hydroseeding (or hydraulic mulch seeding, hydro-mulching, hydraseeding) is a planting process which utilizes a slurry of seed and mulch. The slurry is transported in a tank, either truck- or trailer-mounted and sprayed over prepared ground in a uniform layer.

 

The mulch in the hydroseed mixture helps maintain the moisture level of the seed and seedlings. The slurry often has other ingredients including fertilizer, tackifying agents, green dye and other additives.

 

Hydroseeding is used to seed grass on commercial sites (highways/motorways etc.), golf courses, lawns and areas too large, inaccessible or unsuitable for cost-effective conventional methods. Starting a lawn by hydroseeding is considerably cheaper than laying sod/turf and quicker than using seed.

 

The Benefits

  • Higher percentage of seeds germinate faster. 

  • Grass plants survive longer. 

  • Soil erosion is greatly reduced. 

  • Distribution of seed, fertilizer and mulch is uniform. 

  • Improves versatility to seed tough areas, i.e irregular slopes or berms, ditches and narrow strips. 

  • Seed mixes are tailored to the site according to sun exposure and lawn usage. 

  • No masking is necessary for walkways, flowerbeds, walls and construction obstacles. 

  • Mulch turns to humus becoming integral part of soil. 

  • Lawns develop more plush and full.

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